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Teaching monk in Kathmandu in cowling monastery which is outside of Kathmandu in Kapan. 5 years to 15 years students monk we there and about 52 students in total. I taught 3 hours a day. My subject was English, after 1 pm we had lunch where we ate dal bhat and vegetable which was really food. After 3 pm we finished school but they have Tibetan class until 5 pm and I was playing with younger monks. Badminton, chess, card game and watching tv and some Nepalese and Jackie Chan's movies was how our time splendid in free time. Saturday and Sunday I spent my time in Boudda and Thamel having western food and watching amazing live concerts. I couldn’t believe I finished my 2 months teaching at monastery leaving with such memorable days with me. I found it was a short time. After finishing my volunteering I did jungle safari and Annapurna trekking. Thank you PVN-Nepal and your entire team..You guys are really friendly and flexible Namaste!!
Charlotte, United KingdomI have spent two wonderful weeks in pokhara, in this welcoming and caring family. The experience with the kids has been amazing. They are very smart and fun, and they have taught me a lot! This experience was allowed me to test immersed in the Nepalese culture and to visit different places in Nepal. Thank you pvn and Team for welcoming me into your Country .
My 2nd trip with PVN Nepal has been even more awesome than the 1st one. I have volunteered in monastery and orphange. The experience was exceptional. The life lessons learnt are countless. Saroj is the perfect coach. He has been very supportive and extremely helpful from day 1 to the end of the trip. Saroj also organized my trip to Bhutan, the discovery of paradise on earth :) Thank you PVN Nepal for making this trip the most awesome one of my life so far. Am definitely coming back in 2019 to experience another volunteering project in Nepal.. and discover more destinations with the help of Saroj. I have made a video, capturing the volunteering service in Nepal. It can be viewed on this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlViL97LC6Y
I found myself sitting with a 7 years monk in one of the classrooms, learning meditation via two other teachers at the school who helped translate his Nepali language to English.
Amazing trekking around Annapurna! Saroj was an extraordinary guide, always smiling and in a good mood. We didn't have a single problem y we had tons of fun! Lovely people all around the way and a bed ready when we get to the village. Nice food all along the trekking and Saroj ready to help 24h! I will recommend it for sure and I will do it again 100% THANKS SAROJ!!!!
I travelled to Nepal at the month of March for volunteering in a monastery in Daaune. I arrived very late and after collecting my luggage and visa, it was almost 11 at night which made me worried if there would be someone to receive me. To my surprise, I saw a guy with my name on a paper waiting for me. It was Yubaraj and he took me to my hotel. After some days Nepali language culture and some sightseeing in Kathmandu, I went Daaune monastic school, where a nun-monk received me. I taught English to the little monks and played with them. After my volunteering, I also went for bungee and rafting with other volunteer mark and Emma and it was one of the most adventurous things I had ever done in my life. Before I left Nepal, I remember my last night at my hotel, me thinking to come back again to Nepal through PVN-Nepal and make more memories. It was a very unique experience but I’m glad I did it and also chose the best organization for it. Each and every person related to the organization one way or the other was very helpful and accepted me with wide open arms. I didn’t understand so many things but they explained to me with cool mind and easiest way possible. My whole experience in Nepal was awesome and I can never thank the boys and awesome from PVN-Nepal for the wonderful time in Nepal.
About my experience in volunteering with pvnnepal, I find very emotions during my stay here. The welcome at the airport would very nice, Saroj pick up us and take us to a hotel in our Kathmandu. I’ve found great the first Nepali language and Nepali cultural thanks again to Saroj who show you, it in a beautiful way. The stay in the sakya Monastery in Pokhara has been one of my deepest and happiest experience in my life. To have the opportunity to teach children there and meet so beautiful people touch my soul. To take care of the kids has been unforgettable. I feel that part of my soul stays there. Nepali people are wonderful, and I will come back next year to see you soon Nepal thank you, pvnnepal team, give me this opportunity in my life.
I had an amazing experience volunteering through PVN Nepal. They were very helpful at every step of my month and a half long placement, where I taught English at a school in Thulu Bharku. Prior to arriving at my placement, the organization sent an instructor to pick me up at the airport, show me around Kathmandu, and provided private Nepali language classes. They did a great job of preparing me and I had a great time laughing with Saroj and his friends in Kathmandu. Once I arrived in Thulu Bharku, my host family met me at the bus stop and looked after me as if I was a part of their family until my departure. I loved working with the kids in and out of the classroom. I will never forget how happy they were to climb all over me as I walked back from a trek one afternoon. I can’t wait to go back to Kathmandu and help the amazing group of people at PVN Nepal in any way I can!
When I arrived at the Kathmandu Airport I got out of the building and immediately saw Saroj standing there and waiting for me. He picked me up with a taxi and took me to the volunteer house. It was a very pleasant pick-up after all. The next few days were spent in the city of Kathmandu where I got taught some culture and language among other volunteers. After that we were put into out volunteering programs. I went to chitwan first for two weeks in an orphanage. The kids were really kind. I helped them do homework and helped cooking and cleaning. After that I went to Pokhara in an orphanage where I did the same as in Chitwan. Then I went trekking on the 5-day poon hill trek with one other volunteer and Saroj as our guide. The landscape we saw was breathtaking and it was super cool to just sleep in simple lodges in the mountains. For the last part I went into a monastery close to Pokhara and finished my time in Nepal volunteering as an English and math’s teacher for the young monks. Going home after 3 months felt weird. I really fell in love with this country and the program Saroj launched. It is definitely worth a visit!
I went to Nepal at the month of July and I was welcomed at the airport with big smile by Saroj. Next morning at 11 and we went to the office where he gave me language classes till 1 PM and sight seen after that. He was very genuine guy and always had a smile on his face which made you feel like home even though you are thousands of miles away from your home. After 3 days in Kathmandu, I went to Jyotinaagar by a tourist bus where I’d volunteer for 4 weeks. I taught at a public school to 7th standard students. I taught them Mathematics and English. During a lunch break, I played football with the students and after 3:30, I was free. I stayed at Sarita Pandey host mom was a housewife. My day offs were spent with the local village boys playing football and I also got a visit from PVN-Nepal for a day to know about my activities. I completed my volunteering and came back to Nepal before my flight back day. It was a very cool experience and I will definitely go back and choose PVN-Nepal because they are the best and I can’t think of any other organization who would treat you like their own family.
We went to Nepal for 15 days. We are 4 friends from Valencia (Spain). The first week we visited Kathmandu and Chitwan, and on the second week, we went on a 5 days trek in the Annapurna with PVNNEPAL. The experience was incredible. The people from the mountains were really kind, the food was always amazing, everything was ready for us on our arrivals, our guide from PVNNEPAL was just one more of our little group of friends rather than a guide, and when meeting other groups along the way I was surer our guide was the best! When visiting Nepal it is essential to go on a trek, even if it's just a little one like ours, to see the Himalayan mountains close and experience the nature of Nepal on its fullness. I am sure I'll come back to do a longer one and I will definitely trust PVNNEPAL again. Couldn't be happier about my time in Nepal!:D Marta.
The journey was memorable and I found myself really making the right decision. The PVN Nepal and the homestay are all quite warming and kind. They were all ready to help me in any conditions. I miss the time we were together there. The host family was so welcoming, treated me as one of their own sons. Always there to help out, cooked fantastic meals, gave great advice and genuinely concerned for your welfare. Rupakot is rural area with few facilities. But I really admire the inhabitants there as they always living happily though some of them are poor. The environment of Rupakot is really nice with natural beauties. The children at the school are really cute and sometimes quite naughty as we know it is the natural character of kids. I really miss them and the teachers are also very kind and patient to their teaching. When I got some free time I used to talk to the people there about their culture and festivals. I got to know lot of new things and I m glad to be part of the program. I broaden my mind and knew about the country culture and living style which is really exciting. In summary, this is really a great opportunity for me to take part in this program and I really hope my contribution can bring some good impact to the community. Thank you for giving me such an amazing experience……
NEPAL N-Never E-Ending P-Peace A-And L-Love Never ending peace and love, I arrived Nepal in 2012 in my summer vacation, I found pvnnepal on google, Prashant a staff of organization picked me up at the airport. It’s an amazing Greeting I never expected. I had signed up for 4 weeks volunteering program @ Jyoti Nagar Chitwan teaching at school. I thank Krishna’s family for such a warm welcome, it was really nice. He have 2 son and 1 daughter ; Dev and sila they studied in Narayanghat and Bipin was a younger brother studied in class 9, he guide me there. And we had fish curry. We did fishing in Narayani river. I used to wake up early in the morning in 7 am ;) At 9:30 we used to had dal bhat and went to jaman shing school in 2 min by walking. I taught to class 3,4,5 English and social studies. English subject teacher gave me teaching material which was really helpful and kind of him. Having tea,biscuits,samosa & roti at lunch at school we used to go back home at 4pm. Saturday was my holidays so bipin used to take me to narayani river and elephant polo in maghauli was lot of fun. It was really worthwhile to work in teaching at school with Nepali host family, I recommend Krishna family Namaste! We are 3 medical students who arrived in June 2013. We stayed 3 days in Kathmandu. We learned Nepali language got information about cultural information & went to some Kathmandu valley for sight seen. We been monkey temple, Kathmandu durbar square ,buddhanath and pashupatinath. Our project was in Chitwan village in Bisal’s host family. Bisal helped us to go health clinic. We found many people who used to come for check up and lots people had problem with skin infection, fever, diarrhea and very few medicine were provided by health centre. Every Friday morning we went door to door health program for tharu community which was really effective. We finished our program which was good and effective. We contributed some of our medical idea for local people .and hope to do more in future days..Thank you Bisal and his family, We miss your Nepali tea.
I was in Nepal last year for two months in the summertime. On the first month, I had the opportunity to share my time with the kids in Kathmandu orphan, managed by pvn Nepal organization. I learned countless things from and about the kids. I became astonished by the happiness and energy that they irradiated despite their past. They were kind, respectful and always had a smile on their faces. They filled me with gratitude from any small detail. I recommend to everybody that has the opportunity of travelling, that they go to Nepal to share some time with these wonderful orphan children.
How can I describe such a great country in only a few words? Impossible! From day one until the end of my trip I've never been as good in a country as here! In the mountains, in the south part, even in the cities! People are naturally smiley, always ready to help you with everything, to share even for few minutes. Landscapes are amazing, food is excellent and a dal bath a day keeps the doctor away! Hope that you will enjoy as much as I enjoyed it! I really enjoy my time with pvnnepal especially Saroj and his team!! I'm never forgotten with you guys. cheers
I visited the Nepal a year ago where I spent a couple of weeks during my volunteering on the beautiful village of Chitwan. I am so glad I incorporated those weeks into my trip as was such a rewarding experience and a chance to know the real Nepal. After spending a couple of nights in Kathmandu.We were headed to our homestay in Chitwan. I felt privileged to stay in their house and witness their way of life in only for a couple of weeks. In the mornings we were walking in the sunshine surrounded by trees being welcomed by the locals. At the time I was there I taught Basic English in Adharsha secondary school and the teaching staff were all just so adorable! In morning we would be playing and interacting with children and helping out with their daily feed. We also took them to the health centre for their regular weigh in. It was coming up to Christmas while I was there so we had a Christmas party one of the mornings, such fun! I will never forget their smiley faces. The children there were all so keen to learn and it was great to see their confidence grow in such a short space of time. The children were practicing for their school performance, so we got to watch their rehearsals, singing and dancing. Although quite a few hours a day were spent volunteering, you still had enough time to do as you pleased - great place to relax and unwind and everyone was so laid back. We had a few late nights playing cards or singing karaoke with the family however most evenings it was early to bed after dinner. We were really looked after by the family and the food was delicious. Weekends were free time so one weekend we had gone for dry picnic where we enjoyed talking to local peoples about their lifestyle. It was quite emotional having to leave, especially saying goodbye to the children. I would definitely love to go back one day. Although I was able to take a few books to the children I was quite shocked by the lack of equipment at the library of school. I hope they have since received further donations and am interested to help in anyway getting further supplies to them. I would say to anyone considering volunteering on this project, well any project, to definitely give it go, you will not be disappointed from what you gain, these amazing memories will last forever. I met the most wonderful local people and the other volunteers I shared the experience with. A big thank you to all those involved in this project I am so pleased I could be a part of it!! Thank you.
I worked as a volunteer in Nepal for three months in 2010, and I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences of my life. Saroj met me at the airport when I arrived, and I spent the first few days with two other volunteers, learning about the Nepalese language and customs in Kathmandu. We explored the local area and saw the important religious sites - it truly is a fascinating place.
We were each allowed to choose where we would like to go for our voluntary placements. I first went to Thulaket, a small village, north of Pokhara. I lived with a wonderful family, worked in the children's resource centre in the mornings and evenings, and taught English in the school during the day. It was a stunningly beautiful place, the people were warm and welcoming, and at the weekends, all the volunteers would meet in the town of Pokhara. I grew to love Dahl Baht - the staple of the Nepalese diet!
I then spent a few weeks volunteering at an orphanage in Pokhara. I lived with two other volunteers in the town, and we went to help at the orphanage each day. We played games with the children and taught them English, as well as helping the orphanage staff with day to day cooking and cleaning.
My third and final placement was in Lumbini, in the south of the country. I lived in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, where I taught English to the monks each day. It was a unique and fantastic experience. I was treated so well by the staff and students, and I learned so much from my time there.
After my placements, I met with some of the other volunteers and we spent a few days in the jungle in Chitwan - again, a truly memorable experience.
I have since travelled all over the world, but have yet to find any place as wonderful as Nepal. I made some fantastic friends there and was truly sorry to be leaving at the end of my placement. The Nepalese people are really special, and Saroj is a wonderful person, who really takes care of the volunteers that come to Nepal. Any question, concern or problem (even though there were none!) - I knew Saroj was only ever a phone call away. For anyone considering going to Nepal to volunteer - do it! It has truly been the most memorable experience of my life to date.
I arrived at Kathmandu and was shortly introduced to Saroj. I would volunteer for the next couple of weeks in a clinic post in Chitwan. Saroj introduced me to Nepali culture, showed me around the city and made sure I arrived without any troubles to my housing in Chitwan. He even helped me arrange my trip there so that I could do part of it by river rafting for two days. During my stay, I was able to experience Nepali culture and observe how primary care is delivered. After my time as a volunteer finished, I went trekking in the Himalayas and visited as much as possible of this beautiful country before returning back home.
I arrived in Nepal in 2010 to volunteer, where Saroj was at the airport pick me to a hotel in Kathmandu and gave me a week of training, which included tours around the city and Its surroundings, Nepali language lessons and local food meals. During this time I got to meet some other volunteers on the program and to spend time with them. It was a very effective and important week and after that, I went to Pokhara to volunteer in an orphan home and to live with a local family for 3 weeks. I loved being with the children and the host family was treating me very kindly. I went for another 2 months of volunteering in a primary school in a village next to Pokhara, where I was teaching English and spending time with the children during the afternoons. All this was together with a few other volunteers. Here too, the host family welcomed me and treated me just as if I was one of the family! All this time Saroj was in contact with me, making sure that I had everything I needed and that things were going well. This volunteering program was an extraordinary experience for me. I met a lot of good people and got to know some of the Nepali cultures. I received personal attention all along and made some good friends and memories for life.
Teaching monk in Kathmandu in cowling monastery which is outside of Kathmandu in Kapan. 5 years to 15 years students monk we there and about 52 students in total. I taught 3 hours a day. My subject was English, after 1 pm we had lunch where we ate dal bhat and vegetable which was really food. After 3 pm we finished school but they have Tibetan class until 5 pm and I was playing with younger monks. Badminton, chess, card game and watching tv and some Nepalese and Jackie Chan's movies was how our time splendid in free time. Saturday and Sunday I spent my time in Boudda and Thamel having western food and watching amazing live concerts. I couldn’t believe I finished my 2 months teaching at monastery leaving with such memorable days with me. I found it was a short time. After finishing my volunteering I did jungle safari and Annapurna trekking. Thank you PVN-Nepal and your entire team..You guys are really friendly and flexible Namaste!!
Nepal, such an amazing country I had ever been in my life, how can someone describe this beautiful country? Country loved by god natural beauty simply heaven on this earth. Friendly people open-minded environment and moreover to be with such an amazing Guide Mr Saroj Ghimire is just a dream come true. Working as a volunteer is always fun and I was fortunate enough to have had some incredible experience. From my first day, Saroj ( CEO of PVN Nepal) never made me feel I was in new place. It was so memorable and easy working with him.
As my program, I was in appointed to teach in the school in Damdame. It was one of my unforgettable days. So much love and respect for caring homestay you could never be imagined. The children were fun & co-worker I worked there being teacher were helpful and caring in every step.
I never imagined myself that working as a volunteer in Nepal would be an extraordinary and amazing experience . I loved my time there very much. I highly recommend this trip to anyone who is not sure just yet and to those who already are planning to go, get ready to trip of the lifetime.
Thank you PVN-NEPAL for such an amazing time!
The first thing I want to tell every possible future volunteer is that PVN Nepal IS a very trustworthy organisation. As it is still a young and small volunteer organisation you might not be able to find a lot of information/feedback about it on the Internet. Nevertheless, I confirm you that „young and small“ is only positive as it means you never get the feeling you’re a business target. The director of PVN – Saroj – is a very reliable and easygoing person who (personally) is always there when needed. Saroj and other members of the staff give you a good introduction to Nepali culture and language. I even got private lessons because at the time I arrived I was the only volunteer and this really helped to establish personal and friendly contact which I really appreciated.
I signed up for 8 - week monastery program. When I arrived to Kathmandu I was told that for some reason it is not possible to go to the monastery right away and I could volunteer first weeks in an orphanage in Pokhara and I did. Looking back I understand that according to western standards I should have been informed about this change before BUT Nepal is Nepal – your life will be much easier if you’re flexible and open-minded – only with this mindset can you benefit from unexpected changes:) In the end, I’m very grateful for Pokhara experience. I lived in a host family so I got a good insight to a routine of a real Hindu family. Nevertheless, they have hosted volunteers from all over the world for many years so I felt very comfortable there. Working with orphans really opens your eyes even if you’re experienced in working with children. They are very respectful, caring (sometimes I had the feeling that they are taking care of me not me of them) and undemanding. And thankful. I think they thanked me every day for every little thing like taking them to a park or giving them some colouring pencils for drawing. So the children are absolutely amazing. They live in really poor conditions and sometimes it makes it hard to invent great activities for them (if they don’t even have a proper football). As it was school break and I had a group of boys only I could see that they longed for outdoor activities like swimming, cycling and so on. But this requires you to pay for the taxi, bicycle rent, swimming pool, afternoon snacks as no one else has money for it. Of course it is not obligatory but inside the orphanage the possibilities are very limited Another problem was that I missed a mentor – someone who would have been a personal support and could answer all my little questions eg what are my responsibilities, what are the house rules etc. The „mother“ or guardian of the boys was a Nepali woman who did not speak any English. She took care of the food, cleaning, washing etc but never got involved with whatever I did with the kids. So I felt a little helpless. There were also some other volunteers but they were all from different organisations and minded their own business and arrived and left at random times (at least so it seemed to me). Even though I love the children this orphanage period was a bit disorganized which at times made me feel useless. And as we know, every volunteer wants to save the world and this is easier when you feel you understand what you are expected to do:)
After Pokhara I moved to southern Nepal in the middle of a JUNGLE to start my long-awaited monastery program. It is important to note that it is not suitable for those who want to stay in connection with civilization. My monastery was in a very small village and you had to take a bus to a nearby town if you needed to buy anything else than biscuits or water (these you could get from the village). But those who are seeking for isolation and simple life within a Buddhist community – perfect. In the beginning, there was again a bit confused about my duty (perhaps it is an inevitable part of the meeting of different cultures). I was supposed to teach English in a school attached to the monastery and for the first week nobody was able to give me a fixed curriculum/timetable – I was teaching different classes every day and often I was told to teach a new class just 5 minutes before the class started. I cannot say I was treated carelessly – it was just hard for them to understand why it is hard for me to teach a class without preparation:) I finally managed to explain them that it is very hard for me to do good work in these conditions so I got the books, timetable, curriculum and lots of help from the other teachers. After weeks of teaching I really felt we managed to do effective work with the students and this is the best feeling ever. I was surprised that as a new teacher I was never „tested“ by the students, they were always very sincere and respectful. And many of them were very talented! Also, living in the monastery with children and nuns gives a great community feeling as you have a chance to share daily routine – cook, eat, clean, collect wood from the forest, do garden work, pray etc. Of course your only obligation is teaching so if you are not interested in other activities you are free to skip them. It is also a perfect place to practice meditation – I did it and it helped me to experience life, nature and people around me even more deeply.
All in all, PVN Nepal offers great opportunities but in the end, it is still YOU who makes the experience great, mediocre or bad. If you are ready and openminded, Nepal and volunteering can give your life a grand positive turn. But if you’re not ready to let go what you’re used to and stress about spiders, mosquitos, simple food etc... then you will probably miss all the good things life can give you. DON’T:)
Being in Nepal for a month has been one of the most interesting experiences in my life. Most of all I think that staying with Nepali family has been the best part.
Being with them allows you to understand Nepali society, their point of view of feel and world and that's not paid by money.
Working at the hospital also makes me understand the differences between this country and the system we used to. It is shocking for someone like me coming from a country where health is free to realize that here you must pay for everything.
Nepal is a country: you can trek to the highest mountains in the world or to dream jungle with elephants it’s amazing how many things you can do in here!!
I would recommend anybody how is thinkings to do a great travel to come here and enjoy the experience of and learning this amazing culture.
I travelled to Nepal in March for 3 weeks. I met Saroj in Kathmandu with a friend of mine, he showed us the city and we had a really nice time together. After a week, two other friends of us arrived and we went trekking together. Saroj had organised everything in advance and did the Poon-Hill trek for the 42nd time so he knew the route pretty good. Thank you very much for this week. We had a wonderful time in Nepal and feel sorry for all the things happening right now.